Business license fees are costly to small firms

As the owner of a local business, I'm not against having to pay the city a reasonable business license fee. I think the benefits would be worth it, overall.

However, I am concerned that one-person businesses like mine would have to carry a disproportionate burden.

Using a sampling of the official tentative figures (from http://www.gazettetimes.com/documents/feedraft.pdf), businesses with 0-9 employees pay $50 to $5.55 per employee, those with 10-49 pay $13.75 to $5.61 per employee, and those with 50-499 pay $4 to $2 per employee.

Interestingly, companies with over 1,000 employees (everywhere, or just in Corvallis?) pay $5 or less per employee.

Incidentally, it's not clear whether part-time or contract employees count the same as regular full-time employees.

What is clear is that the smallest businesses would be expected to carry the biggest share of the load.

How about a simple fee-per-employee plan: Take the desired annual program income and divide it by the number of employees in affected Corvallis businesses.

Each business would then be assessed a license fee calculated on its average number of employees throughout the previous tax year, multiplied by the universal per-employee rate calculated above.

The bigger you are, the more you pay, no exceptions.

Brian B. Egan, Corvallis

Majestic looks like good bet for Corvallis for long haul

The three races that comprise the "Triple Crown" (Kentucky Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes) are run each spring in the five-week stretch commencing the first Saturday of May.

I am not a gambler. However, in six decades, I have picked up some of the lingo of horse racing and wagering.

Under the board of directors of the Majestic Theater, a plan has been developed for a much-needed renovation of the facility.

The project is reasonable, prudent, well-costed and completely doable - a sure thing.

Definitely not "fly by night," even though the antiquated "fly" system of sandbags backstage will be modernized.

I have supreme confidence in the new executive director of the Majestic Theater, Tim Flowerday, and his dedicated, professional team. They're winners.

The Majestic has long been in the chalk with our community. Every day the theater adds to the quality of life in Benton County and after its remodeling will do even more for all our residents: young dance students, high school and college-aged actors/actresses, senior playwatchers.

An extra bonus. The City of Corvallis owns the Majestic. So the design and the construction work has/will be reviewed/approved/ overseen by the parks and recreation and community development departments.

A public, not private, facility dedicated to the performing arts and civic needs will be permanently improved. Bet on it to be done and done well.

The restoration of the Whiteside Theatre? That's a long shot. Odds with which this nongambler is not comfortable.

Hugh Richard White, Corvallis

Hillary Clinton offers a real chance for positive change

In a better world we wouldn't have this exhausting, wasteful-in-so-many-ways presidential election system.

Two good candidates wouldn't be fighting each other while the other side looks on gleefully and plots against the one they can't beat.

Those on the feuding side would not be crying for one to quit, especially when she has clearly earned the right and is obviously the most qualified.

If you want to be the best you can be, no matter what your potential and talent, you have to put in lots of time and effort, gain as much insight and get as much experience as possible.

The potential-laden Barack Obama lists his experience: "Eight years as an Illinois state senator." Yikes. (Looks like he became a senator just so he could run for president.) Seriously, is that really enough for one of the most important jobs on the planet?

Personally, it's not much of a "change" to vote for yet another man. Been there. Done that. Look where we're at.

I'm voting for Hillary Clinton because:

She has been giving inspiring speeches since 1969. See http://gos.sbc.edu/c/clinton.html to read one;

Women are still only getting 77 cents for every dollar a man gets;

While boys get to ask "Why?", girls still have to ask "Why not?";

Girls need to know they can be president of the United States;

After meeting Chelsea, (I think) Hillary is a great mother, too.

Barbara Case, Corvallis

Name park on riverfront for lost town of Orleans

In 1988, Mary Gallagher (then, Linn County cultural resources specialist; now, Benton County Historical Museum curator), and three of us who were her volunteers, surveyed the historic townsite of Orleans.

One of the earliest settlements in Linn County, Orleans was located on the east bank of the Willamette River across from Corvallis (then called Marysville).

On Feb. 18, 1993, the Linn County Historic Resources Commission, recognizing the site's significance, placed it on the Linn County Register of Historic Resources.

Issac Moore, co-owner of the local ferry, developed Orleans on his donation land claim. The early town reportedly was platted in 1851, as was Corvallis.

That year, a steamboat ventured upriver as far as Corvallis, turning the local area into a supply center for miners en route to the California gold fields. Orleans comprised at least 15 blocks, primarily on either side of today's bypass. Orleans' main street aligned with Van Buren Street - site of the ferry crossing.

Major flooding on the Willamette River in 1861 severely damaged several riverboat towns.

At Orleans, the water rose rapidly during the night, washing away the brewery and several dwellings. Although no lives were lost, Orleans never recovered.

In 1992-93, the City of Corvallis, owner of the property, named the land on the east and west sides of the bypass after Mayor Alan Berg and Martin Luther King, Jr., respectively.

Since Walnut Park now honors the Rev. King, Corvallis hopefully will consider the brief, yet significant role of Orleans in local history, and rename the townsite accordingly.

May D. Dash, Philomath

Israel is a safe haven for many world religions

Repeat a lie enough times and people will believe it is true. We are being subjected to a campaign of falsehoods designed to discredit Israel's right to exist.

In order to distinguish truth from propaganda, we must refer to an unbiased source such as the British Encyclopedia. That is the source of the following information.

Jews have a continuous presence in what is now Israel for over 5,000 years.

They were there during Biblical days, the days of the Roman occupation, the Crusaders occupation and the days of the Ottoman Empire.

After the British defeated the Turks, they partitioned most of the land to various Arab tribal groups.

After World War I, Britain issued the Balfour Declaration saying that it favored the development of a Jewish state as a reward for crucial services by Jewish soldiers and scientists, but it failed to create it.

When European Jews were fleeing from the Nazis, no nation would accept them.

Later, the United Nations remedied this injustice when it recognized the right of Israel to exist.

Jews now had a home that would accept them when no other nation would.

Israel is now a haven of safety for people of all religions: Christians of various sects such as Greek Catholics, Greek Orthodox, Samaritans, Armenian Catholics, Druz and Bahai. Over 100,000 Muslims live there.

All of these people are Israeli citizens, receiving the same political and social rights as Jewish citizens. It deserves moral support of the nations of the civilized world.

Norman Bolker, Corvallis